Tension will escalate if I was arrested: Kamal

Chennai, May 17: Actor-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) Founder Kamal Haasan, who was in an eye of a storm in the wake of his Hindu terror remark, on Friday said tension would escalate if he was arrested.

Talking to reporters at the airport here on his arrival from Arvakurichi Assembly constituency in Karur district, where miscreants hurled stones, slippers and eggs at him for his remarks against Hindu, he said it would be better that he was not arrested. Stating that he was not fearing arrest, he said tensions would escalate if he was arrested.

'Hence, it will be advisable not to arrest me', he added. 'This is not my request but an advice,' he said. Pointing out that controversy has been created by a few over his remarks that the first terrorist of IndependentIndia was a Hindu and that his name was Nathuram Godse, Kamal said he had made similar comments during the Lok Sabha election campaign in Chennai but it was noticed by any one.

There was nothing wrong in what I said. This was not the first time the issue (Hindu extremism) is being spoken about. It has been there for years, Kamal said. 'May be, those who feel hurt now, were confident of winning (Lok Sabha polls) then. They would have now realised theywill losing and hence taking up any issue that is coming up,"he added. He said his remarks were being taken note of now by thosepeople 'whose confidence is dipping' and that the violentincidents against him were motivated.

'Let me tell you terrorists abound all religions...every religion has its own terrorists and we cannot claim that we are sanctimonious and we have not done that', he said, and added that 'history shows you that all religions have their extremists.'

He said his focus in Sunday's campaign speech was on maintaining harmony, when he made the remark at Aravakurichi on Sunday last. Asked whether he had filed the anticipatory bail plea in the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court fearing arrest, Kamal replied in the negative and said he was not fearing arrest. On police denying permission for him to campaign in Sulur Assembly constituency in Coimbatore where bypoll would be held on Sunday along with three other seats, the MNM chief asked 'if there is problem then why can't the bypoll be postponed.'

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark that no Hindu could be a terrorist and if he was a terrorist he could not be an Hindu, Kamal said he would not respond to it as PM knows everything. 'Modi is said to have great amount of knowledge. Hence, history and historians will respond to him," he said. UNI